Tours - Aspen Historical Society
Source: https://aspenhistory.org/activities/tours
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:11
Tours - Aspen Historical Society
Tours Menu
AHS offers a
regular schedule of guided tours
during the summer and winter seasons AND
à la carte experiences by appointment
, dependent on availability. From walking tours to to the ski areas and even an electric vehicle driving tour, we have something for every history fan! Step back in time with trained interpretive guides to explore the historical sites and scenes around Aspen, a fun way to experience the area’s past!
Visit the
Activities Calendar
for the current schedule and to register.
Scroll down for our complete menu of tours and experiences.
Click to view the current tour schedule:
TOUR CALENDAR
Or, scroll below for à la carte menu.
À la Carte Experiences
Custom à la carte experiences are offered during off-seasons and outside of regularly scheduled tours, dependent on staff availability. Scroll down to view the below menu of tours, or dream up your own history adventure on your schedule!
$40 per person (2-person minimum)
Contact Amy at outreach@aspenhistory.org or 970.925.3721 ext. 104 for options and availability.
EMAIL
À la Carte options require advance registration and are dependent on availability. Tour capacity is 16 unless otherwise noted (t
his is not private–there may be multiple groups on one tour. En
tirely private tours are available,
inquire
for prices).
Children 18 and under must be accompanied by an adult.
Inquire for bookings outside of business hours.
Eras of Aspen: Downtown History Tour
A guided walking tour of historical buildings, sites, and scenes around downtown Aspen, with interesting stories around every corner. This tour begins with a history “primer” at the Sister Cities Plaza on Wagner Park and weaves through the historical downtown core before finishing at the iconic Hotel Jerome.
Details:
1.5 hours; weather dependent
Meets across the street from the Wheeler Opera House, 320 E Hyman Ave.
Neighborhood History Tour: the West End
A guided walking tour through Aspen’s famed West End residential neighborhood, a quiet gem of tree-lined boulevards bordered by the Aspen Meadows, the Aspen Institute, and the Wheeler/Stallard Museum campuses. Learn little-known facts about the area, from native Ute activity to the racetrack and rodeo while strolling past the neighborhood’s countless historical homes, immaculate examples of Victorian and midcentury modern architecture and hearing stories of the people who lived there.
Details:
1.5 hours; weather dependent
Meets at the Wheeler/Stallard Musuem, 620 W. Bleeker St.
Hotel Jerome Tour
Bask in the history of Aspen as you relax in the lobby of the iconic Hotel Jerome, which has been at the center of community life since its doors opened in 1889. Includes a brief tour of the lobby and first floor area as you experience the history of Aspen as seen through the eyes of the Hotel Jerome.
Details:
1 hour
Meets in the lobby of the Hotel Jerome, 330 E. Main Street
History Coach (Electric Vehicle) Tour
A driving tour of historic downtown Aspen in our unique electric vehicle! We’ll zip around Aspen’s downtown core followed by an out-and-back visit to the Holden/Marolt Mining & Ranching Museum at the west entrance to Aspen. Guests gain a new understanding of the area’s transformations from mining town to ski town to year-round, world-famous resort!
Details:
1.5 hours
Maximum 5 guests
Meets and ends in front of the Wheeler Opera House, 320 E Hyman Ave.
Includes a visit to the Holden/Marolt Mining & Ranching Museum
Holden/Marolt Mining & Ranching Museum Tour
A docent tour exploring the area’s industrial and agricultural history on the site of the largest industrial complex in the history of Pitkin County, the Holden Lixiviation Works! From mining to railways to ranching, the past comes alive as you experience the former Sampling-building-turned-museum, the original salt shed, and the relocated and restored historic McMurchy/Zupancis cabin and outbuildings, which help tell the story of Aspen’s Victorian era and the immigrants who helped shape the community’s agrarian heritage. A docent will show you the treasures throughout this extensive property, which is situated within the Marolt Open space and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Details:
1.5 hours
Meets at the Holden/Marolt Mining & Ranching Museum (0180 Highway 82; on the Marolt Open Space bike path by the pedestrian bridge at 7th Street)
Ashcroft Ghost Town Tour
Please note:
Ashcroft
is open year-round for self-guided exploration, with docent hours during the summer months.
Guided tours explore the stories of the once-bustling transportation junction and mining town that rivalled Aspen. The site is home to several relocated and restored historical buildings in the picturesque alpine meadows at storied the headwaters of Castle Creek, the ancestral hunting grounds of the Native Ute tribe, where silver was discovered in 1880.
Details:
1.5 hours
Meets at the Ashcroft Ghost Town welcome cabin (11 miles up Castle Creek Rd.)
Independence Ghost Town Tour
Please note:
Independence
ghost town is accessible for self-guided exploration while Independence Pass road is open. Docent hours vary during the summer months.
A guided walking tour exploring the Independence Ghost Town where, legend has it, prospectors struck gold on July 4, 1879 making the area the first mining site in the Roaring Fork Valley. Today, Independence is an archaeological preserve located just below the continental Divide and a “don’t-miss stop” on Independence Pass along the Top of the Rockies Scenic Byway.
Details:
1.5 hours
Meets at the Independence Ghost Town upper parking lot (16 miles east of Aspen on Highway 82)
Archives Tour
A guided “backstage” tour of the AHS Archives and research facility! The tour includes insight into the artifact accessioning process, a viewing of the
Aspen Illustrated News
display in the Community Gallery, access to the underground “vault” where much of the AHS Collection is stored, and close-up looks at artifacts of note.
Details:
1 hour
Meets in the Archives Community Gallery, 620 W. Bleeker St.
Menu
Money-back Guarantee
“Learn something NEW, or we’ll give your money back to you!”
AHS offers a money-back guarantee for all guided tours! We’re confident you’ll learn something from our historians and trained interpretive guides, but if not, we’ll happily refund your tour fee.
Learn More
Tours Menu
AHS offers a
regular schedule of guided tours
during the summer and winter seasons AND
à la carte experiences by appointment
, dependent on availability. From walking tours to to the ski areas and even an electric vehicle driving tour, we have something for every history fan! Step back in time with trained interpretive guides to explore the historical sites and scenes around Aspen, a fun way to experience the area’s past!
Visit the
Activities Calendar
for the current schedule and to register.
Scroll down for our complete menu of tours and experiences.
Click to view the current tour schedule:
TOUR CALENDAR
Or, scroll below for à la carte menu.
À la Carte Experiences
Custom à la carte experiences are offered during off-seasons and outside of regularly scheduled tours, dependent on staff availability. Scroll down to view the below menu of tours, or dream up your own history adventure on your schedule!
$40 per person (2-person minimum)
Contact Amy at outreach@aspenhistory.org or 970.925.3721 ext. 104 for options and availability.
À la Carte options require advance registration and are dependent on availability. Tour capacity is 16 unless otherwise noted (t
his is not private–there may be multiple groups on one tour. En
tirely private tours are available,
inquire
for prices).
Children 18 and under must be accompanied by an adult.
Inquire for bookings outside of business hours.
Eras of Aspen: Downtown History Tour
A guided walking tour of historical buildings, sites, and scenes around downtown Aspen, with interesting stories around every corner. This tour begins with a history “primer” at the Sister Cities Plaza on Wagner Park and weaves through the historical downtown core before finishing at the iconic Hotel Jerome.
Details:
1.5 hours; weather dependent
Meets across the street from the Wheeler Opera House, 320 E Hyman Ave.
Neighborhood History Tour: the West End
A guided walking tour through Aspen’s famed West End residential neighborhood, a quiet gem of tree-lined boulevards bordered by the Aspen Meadows, the Aspen Institute, and the Wheeler/Stallard Museum campuses. Learn little-known facts about the area, from native Ute activity to the racetrack and rodeo while strolling past the neighborhood’s countless historical homes, immaculate examples of Victorian and midcentury modern architecture and hearing stories of the people who lived there.
Details:
1.5 hours; weather dependent
Meets at the Wheeler/Stallard Musuem, 620 W. Bleeker St.
Hotel Jerome Tour
Bask in the history of Aspen as you relax in the lobby of the iconic Hotel Jerome, which has been at the center of community life since its doors opened in 1889. Includes a brief tour of the lobby and first floor area as you experience the history of Aspen as seen through the eyes of the Hotel Jerome.
Details:
1 hour
Meets in the lobby of the Hotel Jerome, 330 E. Main Street
History Coach (Electric Vehicle) Tour
A driving tour of historic downtown Aspen in our unique electric vehicle! We’ll zip around Aspen’s downtown core followed by an out-and-back visit to the Holden/Marolt Mining & Ranching Museum at the west entrance to Aspen. Guests gain a new understanding of the area’s transformations from mining town to ski town to year-round, world-famous resort!
Details:
1.5 hours
Maximum 5 guests
Meets and ends in front of the Wheeler Opera House, 320 E Hyman Ave.
Includes a visit to the Holden/Marolt Mining & Ranching Museum
Holden/Marolt Mining & Ranching Museum Tour
A docent tour exploring the area’s industrial and agricultural history on the site of the largest industrial complex in the history of Pitkin County, the Holden Lixiviation Works! From mining to railways to ranching, the past comes alive as you experience the former Sampling-building-turned-museum, the original salt shed, and the relocated and restored historic McMurchy/Zupancis cabin and outbuildings, which help tell the story of Aspen’s Victorian era and the immigrants who helped shape the community’s agrarian heritage. A docent will show you the treasures throughout this extensive property, which is situated within the Marolt Open space and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Details:
1.5 hours
Meets at the Holden/Marolt Mining & Ranching Museum (0180 Highway 82; on the Marolt Open Space bike path by the pedestrian bridge at 7th Street)
Ashcroft Ghost Town Tour
Please note:
Ashcroft
is open year-round for self-guided exploration, with docent hours during the summer months.
Guided tours explore the stories of the once-bustling transportation junction and mining town that rivalled Aspen. The site is home to several relocated and restored historical buildings in the picturesque alpine meadows at storied the headwaters of Castle Creek, the ancestral hunting grounds of the Native Ute tribe, where silver was discovered in 1880.
Details:
1.5 hours
Meets at the Ashcroft Ghost Town welcome cabin (11 miles up Castle Creek Rd.)
Independence Ghost Town Tour
Please note:
Independence
ghost town is accessible for self-guided exploration while Independence Pass road is open. Docent hours vary during the summer months.
A guided walking tour exploring the Independence Ghost Town where, legend has it, prospectors struck gold on July 4, 1879 making the area the first mining site in the Roaring Fork Valley. Today, Independence is an archaeological preserve located just below the continental Divide and a “don’t-miss stop” on Independence Pass along the Top of the Rockies Scenic Byway.
Details:
1.5 hours
Meets at the Independence Ghost Town upper parking lot (16 miles east of Aspen on Highway 82)
Archives Tour
A guided “backstage” tour of the AHS Archives and research facility! The tour includes insight into the artifact accessioning process, a viewing of the
Aspen Illustrated News
display in the Community Gallery, access to the underground “vault” where much of the AHS Collection is stored, and close-up looks at artifacts of note.
Details:
1 hour
Meets in the Archives Community Gallery, 620 W. Bleeker St.
Menu
Money-back Guarantee
“Learn something NEW, or we’ll give your money back to you!”
AHS offers a money-back guarantee for all guided tours! We’re confident you’ll learn something from our historians and trained interpretive guides, but if not, we’ll happily refund your tour fee.
Learn More